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View Full Version : looking at buying a new/first camera but what should i be looking for



adam_92
10th March 2011, 11:59 PM
hey guys. iv always been really interested in photography and iv finally decided to buy myself a decent camera. rarther than using my phone or the parents digital camera. the only problem is... i dont have a clue what im looking for and i dont want to be ripped off by a salesman who is going to sell me a crap camera because he makes a bigger bonus on it. i was thinking of spending around $300 but i dont know what cameras are worth so that will more than likely change. obviously i dont want to spend ridiculous amounts on a first camera but i still want something decent. so... the tech guys out there. if you where in my position and buying a first camera what would you buy or reccomend?

cheers

Shay
11th March 2011, 12:17 AM
Panasonic lumix...
give me a minute and ill get model numbers....

DMC-TZ8

might be a lil bit more than 300 but real good camera, easy to use and carry, and can learn skillz for more professional camera's

adam_92
11th March 2011, 12:24 AM
that has gps on it which i dont need and its a bit more than what i want to pay for a first camera. what is the NIKON coolpix L110 like?
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/product/1256967696715/nikon-coolpix-l-digital-camera---black

some specs direct from HN website

General Product Type: Digital Cameras
Brand: Nikon
Model: Coolpix L110
Image Sensor Camera Resolution (Megapixels): 12.1
ISO Sensitivity (Max): 6400
Lens Optical Zoom: 15x
Digital Zoom: 4x
Storage Media Type: SD, SDHC
Display and View Finder Display Type: LCD Display
Display Size (inch): 3
Connections Connectivity: USB
Features Still Image Format: JPEG, EXIF
Video Format: MOV
Battery Type: Lithium Ion, AA Alkaline Batteries
Dimensions Product Weight (kg): 0.406
Warranty Manufacturers (months): 12
Labour: 1 year
Parts: 1 year

Shay
11th March 2011, 12:31 AM
TZ10 has GPS
TZ8 is the exact same but without the gps

adam_92
11th March 2011, 12:36 AM
ah right. the tz10 seems to be the more popular one. or at least more people sell the tz10

Shay
11th March 2011, 12:38 AM
from what i have read, that nikon is quite basic in what it lets you do.

limited menus and user input. as opposed to the panasonic where you can control almost everything.

should be able to buy the tz8 online.
that would be my pick, cos thats what i know.
see what others say...

adam_92
11th March 2011, 12:44 AM
yeah thanks shay. il see what other people have to say about other cameras and go from there haha

solsen
11th March 2011, 01:08 AM
I would look as something like the Canon s90/95 or the panasonic lx3/lx5 as they both offer a lot of manual control over the settings and also take better pictures than most small compacts. they are both available for around 300. The TZ8 has more zoom if that is something you need.

adam_92
11th March 2011, 01:13 AM
what are your views on the nikon coolpix L110? my friend has one and i really like the camera and in my opinion it takes really good pictures but im no expert with pictures and the quality of them

gmonkey
11th March 2011, 02:12 AM
bargian bin for nikon to be honest...

canon ixus and panasonic lumix and some cybershots are the best Point and shoot cameras in my opinnion...

poita
11th March 2011, 07:22 AM
The L110 isn't a point and shoot like the others mentioned

New ranges are being released by everyone over the next two months.

I will give you some models when I get to work


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shay
11th March 2011, 10:45 AM
The L110 isn't a point and shoot like the others mentioned


what is it then?

poita
11th March 2011, 11:39 AM
they class them as a ultra zoom pocket camera

or some stupid classification like that, technically they are in a different category

guy 27
11th March 2011, 12:14 PM
nikon p&s are great for day time shots. for night time they really do suffer unless you use a tripod. (speaking from experience from owning 5 of them over the years)

my next p&s will be a panasonic as their quality is very high for what you pay for.

JohnBu
11th March 2011, 02:47 PM
I would look as something like the Canon s90/95 or the panasonic lx3/lx5 as they both offer a lot of manual control over the settings and also take better pictures than most small compacts. they are both available for around 300. The TZ8 has more zoom if that is something you need.

The S90/95 is a bit more than $300, but I love my S90.

Great pictures all the time, low light performance is excellent also... it also has some manual controls.

For me, it has basically made my SLR redundant so good are the pictures.

No regrets with mine, very compact, but don't let that put you off, it has very similar (some better/some worst) features/specs to the much larger G11.

Hackstra
12th March 2011, 08:17 AM
I bought my gf an S95 for Xmas and me being a DSLR shooter I dont usually have much time for P&S's but this one is fantastic, set me back around $470 but totally worth it, it has a full suite of manual settings plus a 2nd ring on the lens which you can set up for anything, ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed. It's so good when I dont want to carry around my D90.

vxr-bandit
18th March 2011, 07:26 PM
Have you thought about a bridge camera?

Best way I can describe them is a hybrid between a P&S digital camera and a dslr,

They have a fixed lens normally X18 zoom, can be used as a P&S but if you fancied some better quality pics they have some features of a dslr, worth thinking about if your starting out but don't want the outlay of a dslr

adam_92
18th March 2011, 08:45 PM
i ended up getting a nikon l120. 14mp, 21x zoom and all the features that i need when im starting out. takes really good pictures imho and it was within my budget.

PaulyJ
5th April 2011, 07:56 AM
Good stuff, looking at seeing the pics mate